Sophie-Françoise Hélène d'Angennes
Sophie-Françoise Hélène d'Angennes '(9th June 1743 - 11th June 1763) was a Grandelumierian noblewoman and ''Mademoiselle de Noyon, being the daughter of Henri Joseph Emmanuel and Madeline-Leonore Celeste d'Angennes. Biography '''Early Life Sophie-Françoise was born in the early hours prior to dawn on the 9th of June in the year 1743 in the Hôtel de Rambouillet. Most of her early childhood was spent in the countryside, as her family resided in the Château de la Prousterie. She was educated in the arts of music (especially string instruments), cooking, and gardening by her mother. She also took to the skills of riding and calligraphy. She held a love for reading and learning, especially adoring the works of Shakespeare and Homer. She was noted for attending multiple events beside her mother where she learned the skills of a courtier at a young age. Adolescence As Helene was entering adolescence, her mother saw it fit that she be properly trained and sent her off to the Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Prés ''alongside her younger sister Annette, a renowned abbey located within Paris where she would meet many future courtiers and friends. Thus, she was given over to a long and thorough education at the convent with her sisters. At age 14, she completed her time at the abbey and emerged a proper woman of society, well bred and well-versed in etiquette. Some of the skills she learned were the languages of French, English, and Italian in addition to understanding Latin and Dutch. Helene also took an interest into dancing, writing, singing, and mastering the violin, lyre and mandolin. '''Riding Accident' Shortly after leaving the abbey, at the age of 15, Helene was practicing riding with her friends and instructor. As she rode behind them, the group parted from each other and she was separated from the party. As Helene was venturing through the forest, she noticed a clearing and decided to venture through there. As she looked up and saw a flock of fowl, a gunshot rang out through the woods. Her horse, a young black mare, became frightened and bucked her off, trampling her as she ran around in circles for a moment before fleeing. When her party found her, she was lying in the clearing with a torn up dress and covered in blood. When Helene was brought to a physician, it was found she suffered a concussion and severe injures in her right leg. Because of her injuries, she now possessed a consequential fear of black horses, blindness in her right eye and permanent injury to her right leg that would cause pain and weakness to it for the rest of her life. Time at Court When she became of age, Helene had her debut at court, where she quickly began to adapt. As she begun her time at court, she proved an intelligent and reliable courtier, and quickly became liked among fellow courtiers. During her time in this role, she would begin to gain connections among esteemed members of the court. Despite keeping to herself mostly, Helene began a flirtatious friendship with the Duc de Lorraine, which later led to a romantic relationship and several late night meetings in their own company. Death On the afternoon of the 11th of June in 1763, Helene was taking tea with her dear friend Emilie, the Madame la Princesse, in the salon at Chateau de Argenteuil when she began suffering great pains within her injured leg. Around the fifteenth hour of the day, she was proceeding to the chapel with the Madame la Princesse when her leg gave in on her at the stairwell adjacent to the salon. As she attempted to regain herself, she tripped and launched over the railing, falling down to the lower stairwell body first. When the Princesse and another Mademoiselle found her, she was lying in a pool of blood and groaning. A physician was called for, and she was carried to her apartment within the chateau where she was attended to in bed. Despite the works of the physician, her condition worsened as all color disappeared from her skin and the Cardinal de Grindon, a close friend of the House d'Angennes and Helene herself, was called for. He administered for her last rites, concluding in the seventeenth hour of the day. At 5:40 in the afternoon of the same day, the Mademoiselle d'Angennes was pronounced dead, surrounded by her close friends and physician. Her last words are reported to be: "O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die. O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die. Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have immortal longings in me. Although my life may have been short, I pray for the sweet release of death." Her body was removed from the room within the following hour, and was transferred for funeral preparations. Helene was only 20 years old and remained unmarried. Controversies During the investigation into The Illuminati, a secret society, it was found that Helene was an active member during her life and supported the organization. Most notably, during her post-death examination, it was found that she was infact deflowered, and had recently given birth. This discovery brought about rumors regarding who she had this affair with. Possibly most shocking, a set of letters written between her and the Duc de Lorraine were discovered in Argenteuil, revealing there was infact an affair, however no confirmed letters regarding her pregnancy were found at the time. A set of letters found later that month exposed that the child was in the care of her sister Annette, who would have him hidden away at a chateau, and was named Charles Michael d'Angennes, as well as being the son of the Duc de Lorraine. Issue NAME - DATE OF BIRTH - FATHER - NOTE Charles Michael d'Angennes - '''9th of June, 1763 - Louis Michael de Blois de Penthievre - Illegitimate '''Personality and Appearance Personality Despite being well versed in etiquette and social skills, Helene was rather shy and usually maintained a low profile around other courtiers. However, when she proved not shy, she became a warm and welcoming individual, always providing a pleasant and educated voice to a conversation. She was not known for her gossip, and preferred to keep certain matters private. She appeared stronger than usual during arguments and would hold her temper. As she matured, Helene pursued love to no avail, being known to friends as a "hopeless romantic". Helene enjoyed the finer things in life, being a connoisseur in the fields of alcohol, spices and chocolate. She had a special taste for custards, which were considered one of her guilty pleasures at night or on a hot day. Helene also enjoyed travel, especially to highly cultured regions. Despite having refined tastes, she was rather frugal and kept her spending to a minimum. As her time in court progressed, her pains grew to an unbearable state with no relief, and resorted to occasional drinking. The Mademoiselle was known to carry a flask of rum on her person at all times. Appearance During her youth, Helene was a pale and weak looking girl, but also maintained a look of beauty. She had pale blonde hair with very light blue eyes, her right eye being lighter due to partial blindness. Upon progressing in adolescence, she began to strengthen her looks and began to show as a beautiful woman with her pale blonde hair, now resembling gold, and her eyes appearing as blue as the sky. As she grew, she began to touch up her face with makeup that would compliment the rest of her appearance. Her pale skin allowed for her appearance to transform. When she began her tenure at court, she developed a taste in precious metals and gems, especially regular gems and diamonds, as well as amethyst and rubies; however, she rarely wore accessories, but instead head pieces and hats. She usually wore the latest fashions, but preferred to wear lighter and more flowing materials. She was considered a relatively beautiful courtier, with a height of 60 and one half inches and a weight of 124 pounds. Despite her injuries, Helene was able to do most activities with ease, especially enjoying strolls in the garden any time of day and dancing, however she was prone to collapsing unto her leg when too much stress was applied. Category:18th Century Births Category:House Angennes Category:Grandelumierian Nobility Category:Imperial Court Category:18th Century Deaths